On The Gridiron
September 8, 2016 at 4:31 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Warsaw
Coaches: Scot Shaw (Memorial), Phil Jensen (Warsaw)
Records: Memorial 1-2 (0-2 NLC), Warsaw 1-2 (0-1 NLC)
Last Game: Goshen 35, Memorial 14; Plymouth 17, Warsaw 10
Last Year: Memorial 42, Warsaw 33
Matchup: When the Warsaw Tigers and Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers meet Friday at Fisher Field, one of the teams is going to score its first Northern Lakes Conference win of the season, while the other will find itself with an overall three-game losing streak. Warsaw opened the season with a win at Columbia City, but has since lost close games to East Noble (47-42) and Plymouth (17-10). Memorial beat city rival Central in Week 1, but has since been outscored 90-21 by NLC opponents Concord and Goshen. Memorial leads the all-time series with Warsaw with a 9-8 record. The Crimson Chargers rallied to beat the Tigers 42-33 last year, preventing a fifth-straight loss to Warsaw. Through three games this season, Warsaw quarterback Michael Jensen has completed 39 of 76 pass attempts for 400 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. D'Andre Street leads the Tigers in receiving with 17 catches for 194 and two TDs. Jeremy David has made 11 catches for 91 yards. Will McGarvey has been Warsaw's go-to guy on the ground, having carried the ball 59 times for 339 yards and a score. McGarvey is averaging nearly six yards per carry. No other Warsaw player has tallied more than 43 rushing yards. Memorial's Nathan Williams has thrown five touchdown passes so far this season. Teammate David Tillman has scored three TDs.
Jensen: "In the Memorial game last year, we got off to a great start, had a nice lead. On our last drive before halftime, we didn't finish, and we self-destructed. We can't do that again. We've go to start strong and finish strong. We're a good team. We can battle with the best teams in our conference, but we've got to be able to finish. We've had six turnovers in our three games, and I think three of them were on the first drive, or at least in the first quarter. The kids showed up Monday … we didn't have school, but they showed up ready to work and we had a good practice. The best teams that we play are the last three or four weeks of the season … NorthWood, Concord, Carroll or Homestead in the sectional. I told the kids, all of the things we want to accomplish are still in front of us, but we've got to get after it."
TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT NORTHFIELD (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Wabash
Coaches: Jeff Shriver & Aaron Norris (TV), Brandon Baker (Northfield)
Records: T. Valley 0-3 (0-1 TRC), Northfield 2-1 (1-0 TRC)
Last Game: North Miami 55, T. Valley 13; Northfield 26, Southwood 7
Last Year: Northfield 59, T. Valley 7 (Northfield later had to forfeit)
Matchup: After just 13 games, the Darin Holsopple era at Tippecanoe Valley is over. Holsopple, citing stress-related health issues, resigned from his head coaching position Monday. The Vikings were 3-10 under Holsopple, including a forfeit victory last season and an 0-3 mark this year. In the three games this year, the Vikings have been outscored 167-27 by Culver Academy, Western and Three Rivers Conference foe North Miami. Longtime Valley assistants Jeff Shriver and Aaron Norris will act as co-head coaches for the remainder of the season. Shriver was the Vikings' head coach from 2006-2013. Northfield enters Friday's contest with wins over Bluffton and Southwood, and a non-conference loss to Peru. It's no secret the Norsemen want to run the football … they've gained 819 yards on the ground and just 58 through the air. Jensen Frieden leads Northfield's ground game with 346 yards and six TDs on 48 carries, an average of seven yards per attempt. John Schuler has rushed 18 times for 199 yards and a score, averaging 11 yards per game. Layne Evans, who has thrown for the 58 yards by completing 4 of 24 attempts with four interceptions, has rushed for 157 yards and one TD on 40 carries. Northfield has won the last two meetings against the Vikings, though last year's 59-7 win in Akron was later forfeited. Prior to 2014, the Norsemen hadn't beat Valley since 1996.
Shriver: "No. 1, kids are resilient and they want to improve. They're looking for guidance and direction from the coaches. We had practice Monday, and we talked a lot about adversity, and pride, and where we want to go. Northfield has a lot of returners, some guys who do some nice things. They haven't really shown what they can do with the passing game, they run the ball a lot. Their quarterback and running backs do some nice things. The Evans kid, a senior at quarterback, is a big threat for them. The Schuler kid averages 11 yards per carry, and Frieden averages seven yards per carry. Those guys don't have those averages without a good offensive line, so we've got to battle up front. Defensively, they have the best group of linebackers we've seen, those guys fly to the ball."
ROCHESTER AT WHITKO (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in South Whitley
Coaches: Joe Grant (Rochester), Jeff Sprunger (Whitko)
Records: Rochester 0-3 (0-1 TRC), Whitko 3-0 (1-0 TRC)
Last Game: Peru 43, Rochester 0; Whitko 36, Maconaquah 7
Last Year: Rochester 32, Whitko 18
Matchup: For the first time since 1990, the Whitko Wildcats are 3-0. Their next opponent, Three Rivers Conference foe Rochester, is 0-3 for the second consecutive season. Though Rochester has been outscored 153-6 this season, Whitko can't afford to take the Zebras lightly. A winless Rochester team beat Whitko last year, and would love to repeat the feat. Head coaches Jeff Sprunger (Whitko) and Joe Grant (Rochester) are good friends and were equipment managers together while they were at Indiana University. Through three games, Whitko has completed just four passes for a total of 32 yards. The Wildcats' bread-and-butter is their running game, as they have out-rushed their opponents 778-236. Garrett Elder leaves the way with 406 yards and seven touchdowns on 36 carries. Elder is averaging 11 yards per carry. Hunter Reed is averaging five yards per carry and has racked up 272 yards and four scores on 54 attempts. The six points the Zebras have scored this year came in a 59-6 loss to Plymouth in Week 2. Rochester has also lost 51-0 to John Glenn and 43-0 to Peru. The Wildcats have lost 10 of the last 11 meetings with Rochester, with Whitko's last win in the series coming in a 27-24 double overtime victory in 2010.
Sprunger: "We watched film on Rochester and we have a good understanding of the offense they are trying to run. We've seen similar offenses the couple years every practice because it's almost the same thing we used to run at Whitko. Coach Grant, who is a friend of mine, will have his team ready to play. So our scheme this week is to focus on us and improve our skills, understand that we are going to need to fly around to the football, and play with hustle and heart."
WAWASEE AT CONCORD (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Dunlap
Coaches: Josh Ekovich (Wawasee), Craig Koehler (Concord)
Records: Wawasee 3-0 (1-0 NLC), Concord 2-1 (1-1 NLC)
Last week: Wawasee 21, Northridge 20 (2OT), NorthWood 50, Concord 32
Last year: Concord 27, Wawasee 7
Matchup: As usual, Concord comes in big. Huge. The Minutemen have a dozen players on the roster listed at 6-2 or taller, and 14 players weighing at least 200 pounds. The good news for Wawasee in that regard is Concord's biggest receiver, 6-4, 206-pound junior Damien Jackson, has just one 12-yard reception to date. On the other hand, 6-2 receiver Cedric Mitchell has six receptions, averages 36 yards a catch, and has scored five touchdowns. Dominick Debroka, a 5-11, 180-pound junior, gets the bulk of Concord's rushing attempts. He averages eight yards a carry band 86 yards a game. Jack Lietzan averages 19 yards per completed pass, and has thrown for seven touchdowns and nary an interception. Wawasee comes in as confident a team as they've been in years. The Warriors will look to keep the clock running when they have the ball; Tyler Smith is unlikely to throw it more than a half-dozen times, even if the Warriors need to come from behind. Cole VanLue and Noah Wadkins and the rest of the Warrior runners will need to come up big for Wawasee to end a losing streak to Concord that dates back to 2003 (12 regular-season games and two in the postseason).
Ekovich: "I think we're at the same level of confidence this week as we have been in previous weeks. I think the biggest difference is the boys are seeing the fruits of their off-season labor, and it helps drive for more. Concord is Concord; they're big, athletic playmakers. We'll have to limit the big play, win the turnover battle and be physical in order to win Friday."
TRITON AT BREMEN
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bremen
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton), Jordan Leeper (Bremen)
Records: Triton 0-3; Bremen 3-0
Last week: Pioneer 50, Triton 7; Bremen 35, John Glenn 7
Last year: Bremen 42, Triton 6
Matchup: The Lions' record benefits from a season-opening forfeit from Plymouth, who used an academically ineligible player in mop-up time. Their senior quarterback, Matt Box, has completed almost 58 percent of his passes, averages 116 yards a contest and has thrown for three touchdowns against two interceptions. Senior running back Grant Klockow gets better than a third of the carries for Bremen, and is averaging 115 yards a contest so far. Box and junior Jacob Wunder divvy up the remaining carries almost equally between them, giving Bremen three running threats on the field at any time. Triton counters with James "Bo" Snyder at quarterback. He's hitting right at half his passing attempts and averages 112 yards per game. Sophomore Ethan Berry and junior Max Slusser are getting the most carries per contest for the Trojans, but the pass remains their current strong suit. In spite of the close proximity of the two Marshall County school corporations, there isn't much of a backyard rivalry feel to this game, according to Brown.
Brown: "You would think (there would be a rivalry), but nowadays, I don't really think these rivalries exist anymore. Everyone knows everyone, they are friends, they talk on social media. I just don't think you see the animosity anymore. As far as building a program overall, last weeks the bricks that went in to the building were the willingness to fight opponents and to not back down no matter the odds."
MANCHESTER AT PERU (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Peru
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Floyd McWhirt (Wabash)
Records: Manchester 0-3 (0-1 TRC); Peru 2-1 (1-0 TRC)
Last week: Wabash 28, Manchester 14; Peru 43, Rochester 0
Last year: Peru 34, Manchester 21
Matchup: Peru is going to run the football; the Tigers have thrown it fewer than six times per game so far in 2016. They are averaging just under 265 yards rushing per game, an average in the neighborhood of five yards a carry, and have 11 touchdowns, all on the ground. But, they give up a fair amount of yardage, too, allowing 217 yards a contest, and two touchdowns a game. Manchester quarterback Hayes Sturtsman will need to take care of the ball, as the Tigers have already picked off three passes this season. Sturtsman connected twice with Devin Rooney for touchdowns last week against Wabash; and the Squires have had a little more success passing the ball than running it so far this year.
Miller: "I thought we played pretty well Friday night. We had a rough patch at the end of the first half and the beginning of the third quarter that resulted in a 14-point swing for Wabash. With that said, we had opportunities throughout the game to win. Our kids know that we haven't played our best ball yet. As we continue to improve and cut down on our own mistakes, we will win. We know we are close to claiming our first victory. Offensively, we need to control the line of scrimmage and take advantage of our blocking schemes to control an aggressive Peru D-line. Hayes needs to continue to improve and spread the ball around to our athletes. When we correct the mistakes that have plagued us so far this year Friday night, it will be a good night. Defensively, we need to control our gaps and read our keys. Peru runs a physical offensive scheme that gets a lot of bodies to the point of attack. We need to play our scheme and sift through the mass of humanity to get to the ball carrier. Our secondary must remain focused on their pass keys throughout the game. As a team we need to match Peru's physicality and quickness for four quarters."
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Warsaw
Coaches: Scot Shaw (Memorial), Phil Jensen (Warsaw)
Records: Memorial 1-2 (0-2 NLC), Warsaw 1-2 (0-1 NLC)
Last Game: Goshen 35, Memorial 14; Plymouth 17, Warsaw 10
Last Year: Memorial 42, Warsaw 33
Matchup: When the Warsaw Tigers and Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers meet Friday at Fisher Field, one of the teams is going to score its first Northern Lakes Conference win of the season, while the other will find itself with an overall three-game losing streak. Warsaw opened the season with a win at Columbia City, but has since lost close games to East Noble (47-42) and Plymouth (17-10). Memorial beat city rival Central in Week 1, but has since been outscored 90-21 by NLC opponents Concord and Goshen. Memorial leads the all-time series with Warsaw with a 9-8 record. The Crimson Chargers rallied to beat the Tigers 42-33 last year, preventing a fifth-straight loss to Warsaw. Through three games this season, Warsaw quarterback Michael Jensen has completed 39 of 76 pass attempts for 400 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. D'Andre Street leads the Tigers in receiving with 17 catches for 194 and two TDs. Jeremy David has made 11 catches for 91 yards. Will McGarvey has been Warsaw's go-to guy on the ground, having carried the ball 59 times for 339 yards and a score. McGarvey is averaging nearly six yards per carry. No other Warsaw player has tallied more than 43 rushing yards. Memorial's Nathan Williams has thrown five touchdown passes so far this season. Teammate David Tillman has scored three TDs.
Jensen: "In the Memorial game last year, we got off to a great start, had a nice lead. On our last drive before halftime, we didn't finish, and we self-destructed. We can't do that again. We've go to start strong and finish strong. We're a good team. We can battle with the best teams in our conference, but we've got to be able to finish. We've had six turnovers in our three games, and I think three of them were on the first drive, or at least in the first quarter. The kids showed up Monday … we didn't have school, but they showed up ready to work and we had a good practice. The best teams that we play are the last three or four weeks of the season … NorthWood, Concord, Carroll or Homestead in the sectional. I told the kids, all of the things we want to accomplish are still in front of us, but we've got to get after it."
TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT NORTHFIELD (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Wabash
Coaches: Jeff Shriver & Aaron Norris (TV), Brandon Baker (Northfield)
Records: T. Valley 0-3 (0-1 TRC), Northfield 2-1 (1-0 TRC)
Last Game: North Miami 55, T. Valley 13; Northfield 26, Southwood 7
Last Year: Northfield 59, T. Valley 7 (Northfield later had to forfeit)
Matchup: After just 13 games, the Darin Holsopple era at Tippecanoe Valley is over. Holsopple, citing stress-related health issues, resigned from his head coaching position Monday. The Vikings were 3-10 under Holsopple, including a forfeit victory last season and an 0-3 mark this year. In the three games this year, the Vikings have been outscored 167-27 by Culver Academy, Western and Three Rivers Conference foe North Miami. Longtime Valley assistants Jeff Shriver and Aaron Norris will act as co-head coaches for the remainder of the season. Shriver was the Vikings' head coach from 2006-2013. Northfield enters Friday's contest with wins over Bluffton and Southwood, and a non-conference loss to Peru. It's no secret the Norsemen want to run the football … they've gained 819 yards on the ground and just 58 through the air. Jensen Frieden leads Northfield's ground game with 346 yards and six TDs on 48 carries, an average of seven yards per attempt. John Schuler has rushed 18 times for 199 yards and a score, averaging 11 yards per game. Layne Evans, who has thrown for the 58 yards by completing 4 of 24 attempts with four interceptions, has rushed for 157 yards and one TD on 40 carries. Northfield has won the last two meetings against the Vikings, though last year's 59-7 win in Akron was later forfeited. Prior to 2014, the Norsemen hadn't beat Valley since 1996.
Shriver: "No. 1, kids are resilient and they want to improve. They're looking for guidance and direction from the coaches. We had practice Monday, and we talked a lot about adversity, and pride, and where we want to go. Northfield has a lot of returners, some guys who do some nice things. They haven't really shown what they can do with the passing game, they run the ball a lot. Their quarterback and running backs do some nice things. The Evans kid, a senior at quarterback, is a big threat for them. The Schuler kid averages 11 yards per carry, and Frieden averages seven yards per carry. Those guys don't have those averages without a good offensive line, so we've got to battle up front. Defensively, they have the best group of linebackers we've seen, those guys fly to the ball."
ROCHESTER AT WHITKO (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in South Whitley
Coaches: Joe Grant (Rochester), Jeff Sprunger (Whitko)
Records: Rochester 0-3 (0-1 TRC), Whitko 3-0 (1-0 TRC)
Last Game: Peru 43, Rochester 0; Whitko 36, Maconaquah 7
Last Year: Rochester 32, Whitko 18
Matchup: For the first time since 1990, the Whitko Wildcats are 3-0. Their next opponent, Three Rivers Conference foe Rochester, is 0-3 for the second consecutive season. Though Rochester has been outscored 153-6 this season, Whitko can't afford to take the Zebras lightly. A winless Rochester team beat Whitko last year, and would love to repeat the feat. Head coaches Jeff Sprunger (Whitko) and Joe Grant (Rochester) are good friends and were equipment managers together while they were at Indiana University. Through three games, Whitko has completed just four passes for a total of 32 yards. The Wildcats' bread-and-butter is their running game, as they have out-rushed their opponents 778-236. Garrett Elder leaves the way with 406 yards and seven touchdowns on 36 carries. Elder is averaging 11 yards per carry. Hunter Reed is averaging five yards per carry and has racked up 272 yards and four scores on 54 attempts. The six points the Zebras have scored this year came in a 59-6 loss to Plymouth in Week 2. Rochester has also lost 51-0 to John Glenn and 43-0 to Peru. The Wildcats have lost 10 of the last 11 meetings with Rochester, with Whitko's last win in the series coming in a 27-24 double overtime victory in 2010.
Sprunger: "We watched film on Rochester and we have a good understanding of the offense they are trying to run. We've seen similar offenses the couple years every practice because it's almost the same thing we used to run at Whitko. Coach Grant, who is a friend of mine, will have his team ready to play. So our scheme this week is to focus on us and improve our skills, understand that we are going to need to fly around to the football, and play with hustle and heart."
WAWASEE AT CONCORD (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Dunlap
Coaches: Josh Ekovich (Wawasee), Craig Koehler (Concord)
Records: Wawasee 3-0 (1-0 NLC), Concord 2-1 (1-1 NLC)
Last week: Wawasee 21, Northridge 20 (2OT), NorthWood 50, Concord 32
Last year: Concord 27, Wawasee 7
Matchup: As usual, Concord comes in big. Huge. The Minutemen have a dozen players on the roster listed at 6-2 or taller, and 14 players weighing at least 200 pounds. The good news for Wawasee in that regard is Concord's biggest receiver, 6-4, 206-pound junior Damien Jackson, has just one 12-yard reception to date. On the other hand, 6-2 receiver Cedric Mitchell has six receptions, averages 36 yards a catch, and has scored five touchdowns. Dominick Debroka, a 5-11, 180-pound junior, gets the bulk of Concord's rushing attempts. He averages eight yards a carry band 86 yards a game. Jack Lietzan averages 19 yards per completed pass, and has thrown for seven touchdowns and nary an interception. Wawasee comes in as confident a team as they've been in years. The Warriors will look to keep the clock running when they have the ball; Tyler Smith is unlikely to throw it more than a half-dozen times, even if the Warriors need to come from behind. Cole VanLue and Noah Wadkins and the rest of the Warrior runners will need to come up big for Wawasee to end a losing streak to Concord that dates back to 2003 (12 regular-season games and two in the postseason).
Ekovich: "I think we're at the same level of confidence this week as we have been in previous weeks. I think the biggest difference is the boys are seeing the fruits of their off-season labor, and it helps drive for more. Concord is Concord; they're big, athletic playmakers. We'll have to limit the big play, win the turnover battle and be physical in order to win Friday."
TRITON AT BREMEN
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bremen
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton), Jordan Leeper (Bremen)
Records: Triton 0-3; Bremen 3-0
Last week: Pioneer 50, Triton 7; Bremen 35, John Glenn 7
Last year: Bremen 42, Triton 6
Matchup: The Lions' record benefits from a season-opening forfeit from Plymouth, who used an academically ineligible player in mop-up time. Their senior quarterback, Matt Box, has completed almost 58 percent of his passes, averages 116 yards a contest and has thrown for three touchdowns against two interceptions. Senior running back Grant Klockow gets better than a third of the carries for Bremen, and is averaging 115 yards a contest so far. Box and junior Jacob Wunder divvy up the remaining carries almost equally between them, giving Bremen three running threats on the field at any time. Triton counters with James "Bo" Snyder at quarterback. He's hitting right at half his passing attempts and averages 112 yards per game. Sophomore Ethan Berry and junior Max Slusser are getting the most carries per contest for the Trojans, but the pass remains their current strong suit. In spite of the close proximity of the two Marshall County school corporations, there isn't much of a backyard rivalry feel to this game, according to Brown.
Brown: "You would think (there would be a rivalry), but nowadays, I don't really think these rivalries exist anymore. Everyone knows everyone, they are friends, they talk on social media. I just don't think you see the animosity anymore. As far as building a program overall, last weeks the bricks that went in to the building were the willingness to fight opponents and to not back down no matter the odds."
MANCHESTER AT PERU (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Peru
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Floyd McWhirt (Wabash)
Records: Manchester 0-3 (0-1 TRC); Peru 2-1 (1-0 TRC)
Last week: Wabash 28, Manchester 14; Peru 43, Rochester 0
Last year: Peru 34, Manchester 21
Matchup: Peru is going to run the football; the Tigers have thrown it fewer than six times per game so far in 2016. They are averaging just under 265 yards rushing per game, an average in the neighborhood of five yards a carry, and have 11 touchdowns, all on the ground. But, they give up a fair amount of yardage, too, allowing 217 yards a contest, and two touchdowns a game. Manchester quarterback Hayes Sturtsman will need to take care of the ball, as the Tigers have already picked off three passes this season. Sturtsman connected twice with Devin Rooney for touchdowns last week against Wabash; and the Squires have had a little more success passing the ball than running it so far this year.
Miller: "I thought we played pretty well Friday night. We had a rough patch at the end of the first half and the beginning of the third quarter that resulted in a 14-point swing for Wabash. With that said, we had opportunities throughout the game to win. Our kids know that we haven't played our best ball yet. As we continue to improve and cut down on our own mistakes, we will win. We know we are close to claiming our first victory. Offensively, we need to control the line of scrimmage and take advantage of our blocking schemes to control an aggressive Peru D-line. Hayes needs to continue to improve and spread the ball around to our athletes. When we correct the mistakes that have plagued us so far this year Friday night, it will be a good night. Defensively, we need to control our gaps and read our keys. Peru runs a physical offensive scheme that gets a lot of bodies to the point of attack. We need to play our scheme and sift through the mass of humanity to get to the ball carrier. Our secondary must remain focused on their pass keys throughout the game. As a team we need to match Peru's physicality and quickness for four quarters."
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